


Lost Boys: Prom Night

by FeatherWhite



Category: Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Lost Boys, Movie: Lost Boys (1987), Santa Carla (Lost Boys), Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-02 23:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16314821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatherWhite/pseuds/FeatherWhite
Summary: Pre-movie shortstory that follows the Lost Boys as they crash Santa Carla High's senior prom and meet a few familiar faces along the way as bloody antics ensue





	1. A Means To an End

Chapter: 1  
The tall blonde teen with an overcoat reaching to his knees climbed off his motorbike and onto the soft sand of the Pacific ocean beach. Reaching into his jacket, he revealed a pack of cheap cigarettes and took one to smoke. It was just him that night, waiting. He was glad he had parked so far away from the bright lights and crowds of the Boardwalk.   
The Boardwalk was a great place to learn things in Santa Carla. If you were ever curious about what Billy said to Dianne or how Suzy cheated on Jimmy, then it was the place for you. It had become the hub of teenage life in that touristy beach town and every kid from Surfer to Brat-pack could find someplace to belong there. It was also, on this particular night, crowded in such a way that its noise scattered in the air like the choking gurgle of a stream.   
“David, sorry I’m late. It took ages getting my makeup done just right.” A girl with bleach blonde hair and a crop top that seemed just tight enough to be trashy, bounced her way over to the teen, mid-smoke. Her makeup resembled a clown if it had sauntered its way home half-drunk from the red light district.   
David had no idea what her name was, but he didn’t need to know. She was more or less a means to an end, because she had something he wanted very badly.   
“I’ll be damned, I’ve never seen someone look so beautiful.” Taking off his gloves, he ran his fingers through his long, styled hair. He wondered if anyone sounded as obvious as he did when he lied.   
The clown, as David had affectionately come to think of her as, made some ungodly snort that was presumably supposed to resemble a laugh. “You’re a real charmer, but I’m sure you get that a lot.” The gum she was chewing blew into a bubble, then popped loudly. “Well, I suppose I’ll cut to the chase. You wanted four tickets, that right? For you and your friends?”  
It was unbelievable muggy that night for early spring. Something about her speech, her nasally cadence, made it seem more so.   
“ Detail oriented as ever. But I believe that comes out to eight, four for me and my friends and four for our dates.”   
Another snort laugh from the clown, her eyes looked like they were going to roll back in her head. “ Oh puh-lease! I got mine and the girls’ already, we’re all on the committee, y’know. And I’m sure they’ll just adore your friends, I feel a bit like a matchmaker.” She clicked her tongue, rifling through her purse. David’s head ached. It ached over the smell of cheap perfume and hairspray and that musty scent that comes off the ocean when the weather changes. He looked out across the waves, attempting to disassociate from the scene in front of him.   
“Here they are, hon,” She sounded oddly excited about her discovery and thrust the tickets towards David. His attention snapped back to her in an instant. “Now, since that’s out of the way, can we get on with our date?”   
David inspected the laminated paper pieces, rolling each over in his hand multiple times as if contemplating something, before stuffing them into his overcoat. Taking a final drag from his cigarette, he dropped it to the ground and stamped it under foot. It fizzled against the warm sand.   
“Hey, David? You gonna just stand there all night and stare at those passes or are you gonna show me a good time? You realize how much of a favor I did you bringing those, hell if I know if you even go to that school!?” Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence and then faded like an old record with too many scratches.  
David was laughing. It was something that started low and cackling and grew till it reached a pitch of mania. He put his gloves back on and placed a hand over his mouth.  
“ No… no I don’t think I can show you a good time.”   
The clown muttered something indistinguishable before backing up slowly, David inched closer to her. He was glad he had asked her to meet him so late at night. He was glad her family was asleep and had no idea where she was. He was glad he had parked so far away from the bright lights and crowds of the Boardwalk.   
There was a quick scream and then… nothing. Like a candle had been put out in the breeze. Her blood looked starker somehow against the white sand of the beach, and richer perhaps, than any David had tasted before. He supposed that was what happened when you really hated someone, you enjoyed it when they stopped.  
Pulling the passes back out from his jacket, he thumbed through them one more time. “Santa Carla High School Prom” was printed at the top of each in garish red font. David couldn’t remember the last time he’d salivated so intensely.


	2. The Babysitter

Chapter: 2  
Dwayne hated being left in charge. He was the obvious choice though, of course, and he recognized that. David would’ve never left Paul in charge or Marko for that matter, Dwayne was easily the most reliable. He decided he should have felt complimented by that, at least he tried to feel that way.  
“So, let me get this straight, we’re going to a high school dance with some bodacious babes, and we don’t even get to meet them till the night of? What gives with that, man?” Paul had every stereotype of a teenage drop-out that one could expect, right down to his unkempt, blonde mullet and his surfer-like voice. He appeared to be adding more kindling to the fire in the corner of the cave, the flames slowly growing and devouring the fuel beneath it.   
Cave wasn’t perhaps the best description for the space the Lost Boys occupied. It had once been one of the finest beach resorts in Santa Carla till an earthquake sent the entire structure crumpling into the ground. Now it was a cave, though an exceptionally well-furnished one. Pieces of rich carpet still clung to the floor with various chairs and sofas strewn around the room. A broken chandelier provided a center piece as the lights from the fire played off its reflective arms.   
“It was David’s idea man, he got some deal with one of the lead bitches at the school. She apparently fell so head over heels for him that she elected to sign her friend’s up on blind dates with us. But really it just gives us a cover story. No one’s gonna question who we are if we go there with some recognizable faces and…” Dwayne looked Paul directly in the eyes as he spoke. “And, we keep a low profile.”  
Paul rolled his eyes at the ceiling. His idea of a successful night out was to make it with as many chicks as would allow it and then bathe in their blood by dawn. Out of everyone in their group, Paul was easily the most twisted.   
“ It’s not all bad, bro. I mean what if these babes wind up being totally rad. I don’t think I could kill any babe that actually liked me back.” Dwayne had almost entirely forgotten that Marko was in the room. The sandy, blonde haired boy in the corner nook of the cave may have looked the youngest out of their pack, but was definitely the most even-tempered. If it was just him, Dwayne wouldn’t have to be left in charge. Paul was the real one that needed an eye kept on him.   
“Aw c’mon, Marko! We’re going there to feed, I get wanting to meet some chicks, but that’s only temporary. By the time the night’s over, half of that school’s lifeblood is going to be in our veins.”   
Marko looked a little stunned by Paul’s response. Dwayne had seen him kill before, no problem, but he never seemed fully aware or processing of what that meant. Not like the others anyway, it might have been the only thing that made some of them truly happy. Pigeons made Marko happy. Glitter made Marko happy. But, not bloodshed necessarily.   
“Cool the jets, Paul. It’s not going to be a complete blood bathe, David said so.” Dwayne pulled out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, straightened it back out and lit it. “ Besides, we can’t have over half the youth population in Santa Carla knowing we’re vampires. That’s just not smart.”   
“He’s right you know.” Marko piped up from his spot on the ground, he seemed to be holding one of the dozens of pigeons that constantly fluttered around the cave. If Dwayne remembered correctly, this one was named Matilda.  
“Oh, screw you, Marko. You don’t always have to agree with him!” Paul stood up abruptly, his fists clenched tight. The man had the patience of a kitchen timer.  
“I don’t always agree with him.” Marko smirked, releasing Matilda back to the group of pigeons nestled above their cave’s entrance.   
Paul started into some shouting tirade about how he was always the odd man out, and no one ever agreed with him and so-on and so-forth. Dwayne had stopped listening, finding a small measure of contentment in his smoke. They always fought when David was gone, that was why they were best friends. Dwayne’s earliest memory of the both of them was Paul slugging Marko across the jaw over who knows what and them laughing at each other in hysterics shortly after. Fighting was a way of re-establishing both trust and boundaries, especially for Paul. Marko would have just been happy making him a friendship bracelet.   
“ Save some energy, boys, you’re going to need it.” Dwayne recognized the voice almost immediately. David stood calmly at the entrance, slowly making his way down to where the two had been quarreling. Fresh blood patterned both his clothes and face.  
“ Hey, David! How was the date? Marko and I were just chatting.” Paul was holding Marko in a tight choke-hold that made it especially hard for the shorter boy to nod in agreement.   
“ I have no doubt,” He retorted coolly. “And, as for the date… we didn’t hit it off. But, I still managed to snag us some tickets.” Producing the papers from his overcoat, he held them up for the group to see.  
“You didn’t…” Dwayne trailed off, admiring the tinges of faded copper that still stuck to David’s teeth.   
“Holy shit! David ate his date!” Paul shrieked with enthusiasm as he grabbed two tickets from David’s hand, passing one to his friend.   
“ She wasn’t really my type. I can only imagine a real date with her would’ve been… murder.” He grinned, wiping the excess blood from his face. “So, my friends, are you all ready to go?”  
“ Where?” Marko admired the ticket in his hand. “This says the prom isn’t for a couple days.”   
“ I figured we’d go shopping. You don’t expect to wear that to a formal event, do you?”   
Marko looked down at his tapestry covered denim jacket in confusion, wondering what could be wrong with it.   
“ It’s the middle of the night, David. Where in the world’s going to be open right now?” Dwayne clamored his way over the sunken chandelier in the middle of the room, finally snatching his pass from David’s hand.   
The blonde looked up at him with a disconcerting air of charisma. “Who said the shop had to be opened?”


	3. Vampires in the Mall

Chapter: 3  
The mall looked strangely beautiful all closed up, Marko thought. With the fountains still quietly gurgling water and the vaulted skylights letting in streams of moonlight, everything seemed bizarrely tranquil. And then there were the security guards, their flashlights swaying and lighting up the darkened storefronts. They were distinctly less than picturesque.   
Him and his cohorts got an exceptionally good view of the place perched from its high beamed rafters. He and David clung to the far wall as Paul and Dwayne faced them from across a sprawling gap. It occurred to Marko, as David talked, how hard it must be to speak with authority but still maintain some level of silence.  
“Okay boys, you know the plan. We hit the formal store, get what we need, and get out. We’re not taking out any guards if we can help it,” David grinned, his voice droning like a hoarse whisper. “Save your appetites.”   
Dwayne and Paul nodded in understanding, Dwayne more so than Paul. Marko seemed surprised they could hear David at all over the heavy footfalls of the security staff below, or maybe he just wasn’t paying attention. The night seemed deafeningly pretty at the moment.  
At David’s order, they swooped down from their perches and landed softly on the concrete below, clinging behind some plants for cover. There only seemed to be about three or four guards on duty that night, which seemed awfully low for the size of the mall. No one was complaining though.  
Keeping low to the ground, the pack crept their way from storefront to storefront, slowly making it to the opposite side of the upper balcony.   
“This is so Bond, you guys. I feel like a spy!” Paul whispered excitedly from the back of the group. He, just like the other boys, had become exceptionally well versed in movies. It was always theaters, for the longest time, that they would frequent but everything changed when Max opened his video store and Dwayne managed to fix up a broken projector and tape player. For being the head vampire and supposedly “David’s best kept secret”, Max was not only obvious but uncharacteristically friendly. Sure he may not have wanted them lurking around the video store for clear reasons, but there were always new releases left out back for them after closing.   
David stopped abruptly at the front of the pack, motioning to Dwayne to help him with opening the security gate to their destination. Marko and Paul clearly hadn’t gotten the message and quickly bumped into each other from the fast stop.  
“You can actually get those things open?” Marko asked breathlessly, feeling the spot on his head that his friend had just collided into.   
Dwayne acknowledged the curly haired boy with a cold look and the noise of the slide lock disengaging. He and David carefully lifted the gate up, allowing enough space for them to fit through below it.   
Marko tossed a glance back to Paul, mouthing something along the lines of, “Did you know he could do that?”. The other boy rolled his eyes as the group ducked their way into the shadowed clothing store.   
The shop definitely had appeared smaller from the outside and it was donning on Marko that he had no clue what to choose or where to begin to look. The others seemed more set in their styles and were choosing their garments within moments of arriving, but Marko’s tastes were definitely more eccentric to say the least. He spied the discount bin out of the corner of his eye and chose to start there. Chances were if a majority of people didn’t want it, it might just be the greatest thing he’d ever seen.   
“Hey Marko, what are you doing in the bargain stuff? You realize we don’t have to pay for any of this, right?” Paul was currently swinging upside-down from one of the more expensive looking light fixtures, a bundle of unique designer suits in his hands.   
“Paul, if you break anything and they link it back to us…” David didn’t even need to finish the rest of that sentence. He was currently admiring a suit coat in the mirror, disappointed that that was all he could admire in the darkened reflection.   
Marko had stopped listening to all of them entirely, his eyes fixed on the treasure he had just unearthed from the very bottom of the bargain bin. He slipped off his denim jacket, he needed to try this on immediately.  
“What do you think, guys?” Marko stood confidently in front of his friends, clad head to toe in the most garish outfit any of them had ever seen. The suit was powder blue, distinct enough that they could all tell its color even in the dark, with a matching pair of flared pants, spats and a ruffled shirt. It was clear it hadn’t been moved from its spot since the early 70s.  
“I’m speechless.” David held onto the clothes he had chosen tightly, almost as if he was afraid that if he let them go they’d become something similar to the fashion disaster that stood in front of him.   
“You look just like the guy Carrie went to prom with in-” Whatever movie reference Paul was going to make was cut off prematurely by the yell of a security officer.   
“Who’s in there?!” The man was intimidating enough just by his voice, the only other indication of his presence being a flashlight probing between the department store aisles.   
David swore under his breath and looked around himself quickly. “We need to get out of here, we’ll go through that upper window.” His voice came as a frantic whisper as he pointed dramatically to a reflective glass panel on the upper level of the store. It didn’t necessarily look like a window, Marko thought.   
“ Wait,” Paul stared David directly in the eye with a look of terror as he lifted the multitude of different outfits he’d been holding over his head. “I haven’t decided which suit I want!”  
David gave him a look that can only be expected to come slightly before the subsequent firing of a shotgun. He met Paul face to face till their noses nearly touched. “ Then. Take. Them. All.”  
Another call from the guard sent the group into a scurry. Marko scooped the clothes he had been wearing when they came in up off the floor while Paul grabbed as many more items as he possibly could for good measure. David quickly ran and ascended up to the glass fixture, attempting to find some way to get it open without shattering it. Marko and Paul were at his side in a matter of seconds.   
“Didn’t we forget something?” Marko asked the other two in confusion. David tuned him out as he scoured the panel for some sort of latch.  
“Marko, we didn’t forget anything. And, David,” Paul looked at their leader impatiently and kicked the reflective frame in. The glass sprayed around them everywhere and cascaded to the floor like confetti. “ That’s how you open a window.”  
David shot Paul a look of disdain which grew into one of partial shock once he realized what the other boy had just stuck his foot through. Marko had been right, it wasn’t exactly a window, at least definitely not one ever intended to be opened. From that new egress there now spanned a space stretching from the top of the mall’s face to its parking lot.   
“ Are you guys sure we didn’t forget anything?” Marko repeated, unphased by the new turn in events.   
David heard the crunch of glass below them and the heavy breathing of the guard. “ No time to check now.” A nervous smile spread across his face as he pulled the others speedily out of the opening with him. It was distinctly more uncoordinated than any of the other times they had exploited their ability to fly. This was more of a relaxed free fall.   
They all hit the pavement of the parking lot in a way that probably would’ve killed any regular person, if not broken multiple bones. Each was, of course though, fine if not slightly sore. The first thing Marko heard after the ring in his ears had settled was the crisp sound of slow, sarcastic clapping.  
“I give it a two outta ten. Nice landing.” They all looked up immediately to place the familiar voice. They’d definitely forgotten something. Dwayne stood above them, slouched against the base of a street light. He had a cigarette in his mouth.   
“ How did you get out?” David stood up first, brushing debris both from his clothes and the stolen outfit he still clenched tightly in his fist.  
Dwayne let out a low chuckle and pointed to the emergency exit on the ground floor, directly below the opening they’d created. “ That store had two levels. I just unlocked the door and disengaged the alarm when I found what I wanted and went out for a smoke.”   
“ But what about the clothes you picked out?” Paul asked, folding the plethora of suits he’d chosen over his arm. Marko noticed that Paul had also stolen a pair of aviator sunglasses, tag still attached, that he was now wearing with pride.   
Dwayne lifted up a shopping bag that had been sitting next to him, his items residing inside. “They had bags under the checkout stand. You should have got one. It would have been a lot easier.”   
Marko laughed to himself as the group began making their way home. He wondered if the guard had seen them jump from the window and if maybe he was now searching the lot for bodies. He also wondered when Dwayne had become a genius at disengaging security locks but, he also didn’t really care, or maybe he couldn’t be bothered to. After all, the night was still so deafeningly pretty.


	4. Night Ride

Chapter: 4  
Out of all the Lost Boys, Paul was easily the most sociable. While his intentions may have been mixed, he displayed an amount of extroversion that was uncommon for that group. So naturally, when they were all made aware that they’d have to not only pick up their dates for prom night, but potentially meet their families, Paul was the only one that met the situation without apprehension.   
“ But what if she doesn’t like me? Or worse, her family doesn’t like me.” Marko rode in the back of the motorcycle group, his voice fraught with nervousness. Each of the boys had gotten ready earlier that night and it was becoming abundantly clear to them that prom formal made a poor substitute for riding gear.   
“ Marko, what did I say earlier? It doesn’t matter if the chick likes you or not. By tomorrow, none of this will have mattered. But honestly, dude, if you wanted this babe to dig you, you should have picked a different suit.” Paul pulled a stray strand of hair from his face. He regretted having spent as much time as he did getting his mullet just right. Between the speeds they were driving and the saline ocean air, his hair was going to have that windblown look whether he wanted it to or not.   
“ If none of this matters, Paul, then why did you take hours getting ready? And as far as suits go,” David cackled to himself from the front of the motorcycle pack. “ You’re dressed almost exactly like Max.”   
David wasn’t entirely wrong. The black and white checkered pattern on his suit coat was strangely reminiscent of a certain video store running father figure. Paul’s embarrassment manifested strongly as anger.  
“ Oh, tough words there, don’t you think? At least I still have a date, David.” Paul was now driving parallel to their leader, attempting to get in his face. David gave Paul a harsh look and took a sharp turn left on the old highway, forcing him to slow down.   
“ Don’t worry. She’ll take one look at what you’re wearing and then you and David will be in the same boat, Paul.” Dwayne smirked as Paul reluctantly fell back into his place in their line, though not without making various gestures at the boy that had just spoken up. Marko giggled audibly from the back.  
He shook his head in disgust, spying the outline of the others’ outfits in his side mirror. It had occurred to Paul, how each of the boys were dressed in a way that seemed strangely reflective of their personalities, no matter how much he disliked certain traits. David appeared to be covered head to toe in the color black: suit coat, shirt, tie, pants, you name it, all like a cloud of supposed edginess that surrounded him. And then there was Dwayne, practical and unoriginal. His outfit was only a slightly more formal version of what he wore regularly. Sure, he had the suit and shirt but both were left unbuttoned, the shirt tails not even tucked in. Finally, there was Marko. Bright, garish and concerned about a high school girl reciprocating any passing crush he might have on her. His outfit was an extension of his entire persona.  
Paul slammed the brakes on his bike quickly, following David’s lead. They had just arrived at the opening of some wealthy subdivision not far from the school. Apparently the three lucky ladies all lived somewhere in there.   
“ Alright, boys. Divide and conquer. Pick up your dates and I’ll meet up with you again at the dance. And, Paul,” David began pulling away from them, facing where they had come from and back towards the school. He had an oddly empty tone in his voice. “ The suit’s not bad, I’m sure your girl will love it.”  
Paul allowed himself a small grin as the Lost Boys parted ways, each speeding off to a different part of the suburb. Their engines roared and faded against the soft din of the night as Paul gazed into the sprawling metropolis of streetlights and doors. Dwayne was on edge, even if he never showed it, and Marko was shy but David, the boy who didn’t have any people to face, seemed the most discontent of them all.


	5. Meeting the Babes

Chapter: 5  
Dwayne found the house with little difficulty as he pulled his bike into the driveway. He was fidgeting terribly now, and he wished he had time for a fast cigarette to calm his nerves. Hiding his hands in his pockets would have to do.   
Crossing over the sidewalk, he followed a small pathway to the front of the home, minding the lawn as he walked. Order was the one thing that ran in Dwayne’s blood. He was always organized and wanted to make sure that, even in the most unpredictable scenarios, that he was an anchor. Now everything seemed out of hand and all he was worried about was not trampling the grass.   
The house was painted that shade of off-cream that made it resemble a sick patient with its window boxes for hospital flowers. It was basic, Dwayne mused, if not ticky-tacky in its uniformity. After ringing the doorbell though, he was soon faced with the startling realization that the occupant did not match her residence in the least. The girl, no that didn’t seem right, the young woman had long, dark hair held in a tight perm of wild curls. Her makeup was a sight in of itself, reminiscent almost of the Cure, and her prom dress looked as if it had been intentionally cut in multiple places with scissors. She was holding a cigarette in one hand, the other one leaned leisurely against the door frame.   
“ Huh, you’re not what I expected,” The girl coughed loudly and then held out her free hand. “ The name’s Margaret.”  
Dwayne stared at her, completely taken aback. Her appearance, her voice, she was absolutely terrifying and yet, perfect in her own chaos.   
“ Dwayne,” He said in response, unsure whether or not to shake her hand or kiss it. The result was more of an awkward, passing touch. He cleared his throat. “ So, umm, am I invited in?”  
Margaret threw her head back in a laugh and took a drag off her cigarette. “ Invited? What do you think this is, the Queen’s palace,” She caught herself with another cough, her voice rasping loudly for someone her age. She must have started smoking young. “ What if I said no?”  
Dwayne rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, her answer was definitely not the one he had expected. “ Well, then I suppose we’ll be out here for a while.”   
She grinned. “ Fine by me, lover boy. My folks aren’t here anyway,” Her eyes looked him over emphatically and then moved on to the motorcycle. “ Is that bike yours’? She’s a beauty.”   
Dwayne returned her smile in moderation and led her over to the bike. “ It’s mine. Thanks.” He couldn’t contain how bad he was at socializing, it exuded out of his very being like sweat, but Margaret didn’t seem to mind. That was new. They sat down on the bike together, looking up at the sky. She put her arms around his waist and proceeded to smoke quietly.   
“ Margaret, before we go, can I ask you something,” She shrugged nonchalantly behind him, seemingly okay with any favor he’d throw her way. “ You mind sharing that smoke?” 

Paul was seated placidly at the dinner table of an exorbitantly well-off family, drinking as much water as was physically possible. He had already been invited in, met the family, the whole song and dance and was now enjoying the benefits of these people being rendered powerless against him. Water was normally supposed to burn his skin like the heat of a blazing iron but after being allowed inside their home, it was not only cool to the touch but surprisingly refreshing. He was finally understanding why humans enjoyed it so much.  
“ So, it’s Paul, isn’t it? Have you lived in Santa Carla your whole life then?” The man with the receding hair line and brand sweater, pushed his glasses further up his face. He was, as Paul could only guess from lack of experience, his date’s father.  
The boy stifled a laugh as he reached again for the water pitcher in the center of the table, filling his glass to the brim. The condensation from the frosty container stuck to his hand, and he savored the chill of it with fervor.   
“ Sure.” Paul grinned at the old man across from him, all the while attempting to feel up his daughter’s legs from under the table with his free hand. She gave him a quick blush and suppressed a giggle into her napkin. Her family was none the wiser.   
“ Well, we do hope that you and our Christine have a swell time tonight,” The mother beamed vacantly at the two from her spot next to her husband. The woman’s vernacular had clearly aged with her skin. “ Gee, I have to wonder if I’ve seen your father around town, Paul. You look awfully familiar.” The mother nodded to her husband as if searching for agreement.  
“ That would be… unlikely. Maybe you’ve just seen my photo on the back of milk cartons. I’ve been mentally lost for years.” He gave them the most charming smile he could muster and the couple laughed in the same way of forced politeness that you’d be accustomed to from a golf match. In all honesty though, if Christine’s mom had truly recognized him, then Paul had to question if he had any familial ties to his current prom date. He shook off the thought immediately.   
“ Well mom, we better get going. The prom’s not going to wait for us.” Christine spoke with a sticky-sweet vagueness that was either hereditary or ingrained from years of cheer leading. Paul was almost positive she wasn’t a natural blonde.   
“ Oh, before I forget, can I take a few quick pictures of you two?” The mother stood from her spot at the table and snatched a Polaroid camera off the hallway bureau.   
“ Could I get one of the photos too?” Paul asked excitedly, moving beside his date as her mother directed them in front of a wall empty of decorations. This would technically be the first time he’d ever seen himself through a photo and he was determined to keep a snapshot. Paul was becoming markedly more content with this “pretending to be human” shtick now that his more obviously supernatural traits had been disbanded by a simple, ‘welcome in’.   
Christine’s mother took shot after shot, relishing both the camera and her daughter’s happiness. She was proud, to say the least, of not only the apparent joy in the room but her supposed knowledge that her daughter had made a good choice with this one. She’d clearly not seen the motorcycle.   
“Aw, you both look lovely. And, here’s your keepsake, Paul,” The mother handed the small snapshot his way. Paul stared at in awe. Christine would definitely have to be cut out of it later, he thought, she ruined the majesty of his egotism. “ Now you’ll be able to remember this night forever.” The woman chimed in with another saccharine smile.  
“ I have no doubt.” Paul shoved the photograph into his pocket as he and the teenage girl said their goodbyes. Closing the door behind them, the pair stepped out into the night. That was the last time Christine would ever see her parents again.

The beautiful, dark skinned girl had been crying on Marko’s shoulder for an inappropriately long amount of time and he was concerned, if not utterly confused. Her name was Maria and she had been in a state of on-and-off hysterics since he’d picked her up. She still insisted they go to the dance, though at the moment they were sitting in the corner booth of a diner waiting to get Maria an ice cream cone. Food, to the best of Marko’s knowledge, was one of the few things that calmed humans down.   
“ She just- it’s not going to be the same without her.” The girl continued to sob, her makeup streaming down her face in rivers. Marko was hoping none of her mascara had run onto his clothes, he was oddly proud of his ensemble.   
“ Y-yeah,” Marko had absolutely no clue who they were talking about, but knew he should probably say something. He chose his backup plan for when words failed, and looked down at the girl leaning against him. “ Y’know, Maria. Can it really be so serious, to be all broken up and delirious. I guess I’ve really been out of touch, but can it really be so serious?” The blonde had quoted it with ease, his voice pausing for inflection when necessary.   
“ What?” The girl paused her crying, her tone reflective of her running nose.  
“ Song lyrics.” Marko mumbled and stared down at the table, unsure of what to say next. Evidently, quoting ELO hadn’t made the impact he thought it would.  
Maria looked up at him with puffy eyes and managed a weak grin. “ I’m so sorry,” She snatched a couple of napkins from the dispenser on the table and blotted her nose and eyes. “ We just met and you already get to see me being a mess.”  
Marko didn’t exactly know how to respond, so he just shrugged and tried to smile back. Maria laughed a little at his reaction, becoming self aware of the position she’d put both of them in.   
“ It’s just my friend, her name’s Leyna, she went missing a couple of days ago and she was one of the leaders on prom committee. I know she would’ve wanted me to go, she even set up this date, but they still haven’t found her and now I’m worried she might be…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes wandered out the window. She choked, suppressing more tears.   
Marko gulped hard as what she said began to sink in. He was almost positive he knew exactly what had happened to her friend, though this was the first time he’d ever seen the receiving end of it. He wished the conversation hadn’t made him so hungry.  
“ One ice cream here?” The waitress stood next to their table holding a strawberry twist cone. Marko pointed over at Maria as she shyly accepted it and began to eat. She stopped after a few licks and turned to face her date.  
“ You’ve been so nice to me, thank you,” She paused, overwhelmed with embarrassment at how dramatic she had been. “ I’ve never been out with a guy before, but you probably guessed that. If I was in your position, I’d be quoting song lyrics too.” She laughed, feeling her ears grow hot with shame. “ But, more like, ‘She’s a maniac, maniac, I sure know ’.”  
Marko responded with a laugh, this girl wasn’t so bad. Though despite his track record, this wasn’t actually the first date he’d been on. Paul had set him up with so many before. This was, however; the first time that killing the chick by the end wasn’t the primary objective.  
“ Did you want any of this by the way?” Maria held out the ice cream cone awkwardly. She had calmed down quite a bit now but her eyes were still swollen and misty with tears.  
“ Nah, you uh, need it more than me right now.” Marko pulled idly at the loose curls in his hair, staring off into space with the intent someone might expect from a scholar studying a painting.  
“ Well, I really appreciate the gesture. I could pay you back if you like?” Maria was attempting to get the boy’s attention. Suddenly, Marko looked her directly in the eyes with a shocked expression of disarray.  
“ Wait, people pay for those?”


	6. Star

Chapter: 6  
The music was loud, the dresses were short and the punch was definitely spiked; it was, David thought, your quintessential high school dance in every facet. The other Lost Boys had just arrived with their dates, making even them, the most unique thing at the prom, feel commonplace. David glanced around the room, he was now alone among friends.  
It wasn’t all bad of course, he would have much rather been alone than have to placate to some idiotic teenager and she had, after all, made a good appetizer. No, it was something else that ate at David that night, something that hit far closer to home. His friends.   
Paul was naturally hitting it off with the absent minded cheerleader he had picked up, even if it was just a ruse, but Dwayne and his date seemed complimentary in a way that David couldn’t place. Then, there was Marko. If this Maria was truly meant to just be another meal then there was no reason for him to have held her hand so tightly or smiled at any attempt at humor she made. No one’s ever smiled that sincerely at a steak, David thought.   
The blonde stood solemnly at the corner of the school’s gymnasium, unsure of what to say or do. He was supposed to be his group’s charismatic leader, confident and cool to a fault, but now he just felt “too old for this” and moreover aware that his group wasn’t presently in need of leading. Maybe this whole idea had been a mistake. Dwayne had already disappeared into the crowd of people with his girl, Paul was dancing with any female in the room that seemed okay with having a little more than their personal space violated and Marko sat idly at a table, chatting away with his date. David couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Marko actually talk to anyone outside of their pack.   
The boy sighed and reached inside his suit coat, pressing his hand against a new pack of cigarettes. He needed a break.

The sky was filled with a multitude of stars that night, an instance that was rare for early spring and the onset of summer haziness. David watched as the smoke curled from his lips and danced into the darkness, slowly vanishing from sight. It was terribly funny, he thought, that any of them smoked at all. Any effect that tobacco provided had long since dissipated with their humanity as well as any sign of addiction. Maybe it was habit, a need to have some sense of control and routine in a life so vast and unmarked by progression. Everyone wants routine in some sense, the blonde mused leaning his back against a dumpster close to the school’s fire exit, but he was slightly envious that human’s lives could find form in the simplicity of age and time. As far back as he could remember, David’s life had experienced the vicissitudes of a boulder.  
The first thing that caught his ear was the easy opening and closing of the exit door next to him and the smothered tones of music wafting out from the school. The second thing he heard was a voice that came with all the gentleness of a downy lawn and all the hilarity of the undefined inarticulateness of youth.   
“ Lousy night, isn’t it? I guess you’re not one for dances either.”   
David stared at the woman that had just spoken to him with an awe long since buried. Her hair was dark and curled around her face in a manner both styled and unkempt. She wasn’t wearing a dress either, which seemed refreshingly out of place, and instead a simple blouse and skirt, both dripping with sequence. She glowed against the escaping light from the building.  
“ You could say that,” David paused and bit his lip. “ What’s your name?”  
The girl swayed in her spot and pointed up to the sky with a giggle. “ Star.” She replied, her eyes unmoving from the panoramic heavens above.  
David laughed, was this girl for real? She talked as if she was stoned, though he knew she wasn’t. Her affect, however flat, belied a hidden depth of wisdom that had likely never been drawn out. David caught himself grinning, she was absolutely fascinating.   
“ Well then, Star, are you aware that you’re the single most interesting thing that’s happened at this dance tonight?” David took another drag off his cigarette, surprised at his own honesty. He couldn’t help himself, maybe it was overly dramatic, but Star had spellbound him. He felt as though he was now stuck watching her, resting between a concrete wall and a garbage receptacle. Life may have just thrown a change, however minute, in his direction.   
She didn’t respond to his comment but instead just smiled, a sweet, sad smile. He wondered desperately what someone like her had to be sad about but knew no way to ask. They instead just enjoyed the quiet in mutuality.   
Another door banged open and closed against the side wall, now coming from the opposite side of the dumpster. David jumped in surprise, peering over the lid of the garbage bin. It was Dwayne, and he appeared to be carrying something dark and heavy. David knew what it was immediately.   
“ David? David is that you? You wanna give me a hand here or just watch?” Dwayne called at him, out of breath. If he saw Star or not, he clearly didn’t care. Blood spattered his shirt, coat, and bare chest.   
Dwayne wrestled with the cumbersome object wrapped delicately in a black, trash bag until he came up next to the dumpster. He paused and let the thing roll silently to the ground, allowing the plastic covering to relax and its contents to come partially out. A pale hand with black nail polish was seen clearly from the opening. It belonged to Margaret.  
David heard Star gasp as she viewed the spectacle unfolding before her and he winced at the other Lost Boy in anger. Dwayne was going to be joining his date soon if Star left him over this and she was, more than a little likely, going to leave.  
“ I should go,” Star mumbled in confusion and fear. “ It was nice talking to you, uh?”  
David rushed to her side almost immediately. “ David, my name’s David. And, really it’s fine, this isn’t what it looks like. Right, Dwayne?” The blonde jerked his head back with a breakneck ferocity. Dwayne lifted his bloodied hands in a shrug.   
Star swallowed. “ It’s okay, David. I think I trust you,” She crossed her arms and looked at the ground. “ But, I also think you should help your friend out right now. He looks like he needs it. Maybe I’ll see you around?”   
David’s jaw dropped at her reaction as he did his best to respond with some degree of normalcy. “ Yes, definitely,” He took her hand suavely and kissed it. “ Have a nice night, Star.”  
She laughed softly at his sentiment, beginning to walk away. After that incident, she was likely going straight home, ignoring the last of prom all together. She called back to him after some distance with a wave. “ I really like the Boardwalk! We can catch a concert!”   
David nodded with a smile and waved back. He despised the Boardwalk but maybe he’d go for her.  
“ Damn,” Dwayne said calmly after Star was out of earshot, picking up one side of the body that lay at his feet. “And, I thought I was bad with the babes.”  
David rolled his eyes and and grabbed the corresponding end of the corpse as they swung it into the dumpster. Instead of getting angry he laughed. “ So, how was Margaret?” He had gotten his sense of humor back.


	7. The First Casualty

Chapter: 7  
It was amazing the things you could get away with when no one knew who you were, Paul thought with content. For instance, if you left the gymnasium and wandered into the school without telling anyone, they apparently assumed you went to go use the restroom. However, if you and your date wanted to disappear together, that’s when things got tricky and you’d have to get creative with your excuses.   
Paul stumbled through the bare, white hallways of Santa Carla High, absorbing the scenery with a museum level of solemnity. Him and Christine had arranged to meet in the lab for a little “privacy” though they intentionally staggered the times that they’d be exiting the prom so as to not draw suspicion. Paul though, had absolutely no idea where the lab was without Christine’s direction, it had been too long since he was here last.  
He remembered, in a vague, far-off memory, that he used to go to school in the very building he was in now. He was the youngest of the Lost Boys after all, and had been turned the most recently, but even youth in that circle would be considered old in most. Paul wondered with a morbid curiosity what the last class he ever attended was.   
A noise caught him off-guard from a darkened classroom across the hallway. It sounded like the stifled mumble of breathing and tears and he moved closer to investigate. Peering inside, he saw a girl leaning against the far wall of the room, her eyes watching something out the window. It was Christine.  
Whatever part of her played the lovably spacey cheer leader from earlier, was now gone and replaced with the visage of a frightened child. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind, her fragile frame illuminated by the hallway’s light.  
Paul knocked jokingly on the classroom’s open door-frame. “ May I come in, or is the lesson already over, teach?”  
Christine turned around, her countenance changing back to its usual faux sunniness. She played with the bottom ends of her hair and flashed him a smile that seemed piercingly white even in the darkness. Paul could have swore her lower lip was trembling.   
He walked up beside her, making his way past the tables of upturned stools and beakers, and placed his hands on her shoulders. Christine was now pressed up against the side-wall, eyes still adamant to not make contact with the ones above her.  
“ What’re you thinking about?” Paul asked while lightly kissing her face and neck. She recoiled when he got near her throat.  
“ My parents,” Christine swallowed hard. “I think we should just stop now, Paul. Let’s go back to the dance before we get in trouble.” She attempted another of her sugared grins but it quickly fell in worry.  
The boy stopped and drew back, sliding his hands from her to the wall behind. Paul now loomed over his date. “ That’s a pity, I thought you’d be thinking about me. As for getting into trouble well,” He stooped lower till their noses touched. “You seemed to welcome it earlier.”  
Christine blushed, likely recalling all of his advances both at dinner and more physically while dancing. She had giggled at them, if not enjoyed them in the passing way that any young girl would of a high school crush. When Paul had pulled her aside and asked if she wanted to go some place quiet with him, she looked at him with lust, how could she not, he thought? He wondered desperately now what had changed in her, it disgusted him.   
Paul brushed her hair to the side and placed a cold hand to her warm cheek. He sprouted a menacing grin. “ C’mon, what do you say? I know you can’t say no to me, babe.”  
Christine began quivering and pressed herself farther against the wall. She tossed her head to the side in an attempt to shake off his hand, but Paul wasn’t about to let her go. She looked as though she wanted to scream.  
“ What’s going on in here?!” The lights flew on in a second as a middle-aged man stood in the open doorway. Paul assumed by his name tag that he was a chaperoning teacher.  
Christine shot the man a pleading look and attempted to bolt from her place towards the open door. Paul caught her arm with enough strength to make something in her shoulder pop. The girl’s knees buckled as she crumbled to the floor in a scream of agony.  
“ Easy there, doll. Someone could get hurt.” Paul laughed and observed how unnaturally her arm had been twisted.   
“ Let her go right now! You just-you broke her arm, you maniac. Do you realize that?!” The teacher had now moved directly in front of Paul, shouting in his face and attempting to help Christine escape his grip. It occurred to Paul that this man was not only aggressive but had the look of someone ex-military. He might be some fun after all.  
“ You got it, sir.” Paul gave a salute and dropped Christine’s arm to the ground. She groveled helplessly towards the exit.   
The teacher stared in confusion at Paul but was moved in a flash to help Christine to her feet, placing her good arm around his shoulder.   
“ I’m getting her to a hospital,” The man spoke while supporting the girl who cried in pain at his side. “ And, I’m calling the police to come and have a word with you.”  
Paul snorted and began to laugh hysterically. “ Is that right? Because, right now it looks like you’re inappropriately handling a female student and I’m sure the cops would love to hear about that,” He looked around himself and spied a container of dissection blades that he promptly grabbed. “ But, one last thing before you go, sir. Catch!”  
The teacher reacted with lightning speed to the flying knives that had just been launched at him, accidentally maneuvering Christine right in their path. One blade managed to lodge squarely in the girl’s throat, blood spraying with the zeal of a B-horror film. It was all over for Paul the second he saw the blood, he could no longer think straight.  
Paul looked down and by the time he stared back up he could feel the change had already come over him. “ Look at what you made me do,” Paul staggered while gesturing to Christine’s bludgeoned body. “ She really dug me too, what a shame.”   
Still holding Christine to his side, the older man froze to his spot in fear. “ Y-your eyes…” His voice came with a tremor.  
Paul felt anger swell in him, a feeling with more emotion than any he’d felt in a long time. He felt alive. Stumbling his way to the teacher, he took one final look at his former prom date before lifting the man off his feet. He decided this was a good time to test his strength.   
Paul shut his eyes and everything grew foggy till the sound of loud, pop music came screaming into his ears. He looked out, realizing how close the lab must have been to the gymnasium after all, as a multitude of terrified eyes stared back at his. Whoever that teacher had been, he apparently had enough mass to make a sizeable opening in the wall when thrown hard enough against it. The mangled bits of corpse lay at his feet as the silent panic of the prom teens grew into a fevered hysteria far below the opening he’d just created.   
Paul swore.


	8. Prom Night

Chapter: 8  
The first noise sounded like a tree being flung against concrete with every bow and limb snapping and contorting in unison. By the second sound, which was clearly the roar of a multitude of kids screaming, Dwayne and David were in the building again in a flash. It only took them a moment to realize what had happened. David spoke first.  
“ WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!” David was staring at Paul directly, veins bulging on his neck as he yelled to be heard over the din. Dwayne had seen him get like this only once before. He was normally reactionary and moody, sure, but it took a lot to get David that angry. It took Paul.   
Paul gave him a crooked, half-smile as he clamored over the wreckage and out the far-up hole that led from the classroom to the gymnasium. He had no answer to give, though no explanation was truly necessary. Paul had messed up big time from David’s perspective and he was aware of it, all that was left was damage control.  
Dwayne put a hand on David’s shoulder, attempting to get his friend to calm down and realize what had to be done. They both knew what to do, but it went against everything David had worked so hard to plan. Secrecy and a low body count were no longer an option. Dwayne was down on securing the doors immediately. No one was getting in or out.   
Craning his neck to look over the crowds, Dwayne spotted Marko at the other end of the room, his back against the exit doors. It was unnerving how coordinated they were, Dwayne thought, as Paul leisurely made his way to the make-shift stage that the prom king and queen were supposed to be announced from later that night. He pressed his lips against the microphone. David stared at him in disdain, Paul was digging his own grave.  
“ Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Santa Carla High school Prom 87’,” He grinned over his audience who seemed to have quieted down once he spoke. Dwayne wondered if they thought it was an act, like the glowing eyes, fangs and mangled corpse were some sick prank. “ As you can all see, there’s been a slight change of plans to the events previously scheduled for the evening. My friends and I have taken it into consideration and we’ve decided that a better alternative than you dancing and getting shit-faced with your friends, is murder. None of you are leaving here tonight. Sounds like it’ll be a killer time, right?”   
Paul made a passing glance to Marko and attempted a wink and a smile as if he’d just made the best joke in the world. Marko winced in response as he held Maria close to his side. None of them had agreed to this but it was what Paul had wanted all along. David was positively seething, pressing his face into his hands, but Dwayne kept a firm grip on his shoulder. They were all aware that they no longer had a choice.   
A teacher responded first from the mass of people that had congregated below Paul’s spot onstage. “ No. I don’t know who you think you are young man, but this joke’s gone far enough. Heaven knows how you managed to pull off that special effect of smashing the wall in,” The elderly woman gestured widely to the opening at the top of the room’s far wall, Christine’s punctured body was still barely visible in sight. “But, whatever damage you caused you’re going to pay for. No one here is getting killed or being forced to stay by you or your creep friends either!”   
Convinced she had made her point, the woman began marching in the direction of one of the exits. Dwayne stopped her almost immediately. The tall teen chortled manically from his spotlight. “ ‘Who I think I am’,” Paul quoted, parroting the teacher’s words as he began pacing the stage. “ I know who I am, lady, but you’ve got no clue. Thank you so much though, for being our first volunteer of the evening. Dwayne, you wanna do the honors?”   
So this is how it has to be? Dwayne thought to himself as he faced his prey, some old, no-name school mum that likely should have been retired. He wondered what her grandchildren were named or if she had any at all. Paul watched on with zeal, and it made Dwayne glad he wasn’t the leader. David was going to kill him for this.   
What happened next, surprised Dwayne more than anything had that night. In a second, the old lady was dead right before his eyes, but he hadn’t killed her. Looking over in shock, he saw David, fangs bared and fresh blood dripping from his face. He caught the excess on his gloves and wiped it free from his short facial hair, striding to the stage with confidence. Everyone in the audience stared on in awe, still unable to process what they had just seen. Dwayne couldn’t process it either.   
David proceeded till he stood presently in front of Paul. “ Don’t ever speak for me again.” His voice came like a low, gravely roar as he wiped the blood from his gloves onto the lapels of Paul’s jacket. Despite having just killed someone, Paul’s clothes had been remarkably unstained and that red hand-print shown prominently against the black and white pattern. He had earned it.   
David brushed past the other blonde in an instant and moved towards the microphone. “ Unlike my colleague here, I didn’t intend to come here and kill every one of you. It was going to be much more clandestine. However, I am of the mind that if we are going to have a massacre, we might as well get it over with. Marko,” David made eye contact with the smaller boy across the room, and nodded to him. “ Would you mind turning that prom music mix back up. We can’t kill these people in silence.” Marko nodded back, still with an air of unease, as David cackled from the stage. The room began to fill once again with a panicked murmur as the students were beginning to realize what was happening.   
This was how it had to be, Dwayne thought.


	9. Plan B

Chapter: 9  
They made quick work of the room, though it seemed like for every one person, two more took their place. They had to be quick after all, they didn’t want any of this getting out. By the time the first song had played and was through, the screams had subsided slightly, by the point “Time After Time” had finished its last ballad, David could smell nothing but the metallic souring of blood. The room looked like a cheap, Halloween attraction made of shredded tulle, threadbare bow ties, and a couple dead bodies garnishing the pools of red around them.   
To David, everything seemed fine till Paul started laughing. He looked up from the severed arm and bone he’d just pried free from some unfortunate person’s shoulder muscle to the younger teen chortling across from him. It started low enough until it grew into something so loud, and giggly that no one could ignore it. David had really had enough of him that night.   
He seemed to be the only one noticing it, Dwayne and Marko must have been busy working on the last of the room, but it only got worse when Paul began reeling and nearly tripped over one of the many bodies littering the ground. David couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Paul was drunk.  
“ What happened to you?” David asked, catching some kid by the neck as they attempted to run to the exit.   
Paul slumped back against one of the tables, knocking over the last of the food that lay on it. “ I-I don’t know,” He stifled another laugh into his hand. “ I think it’s these kids. Hey does something smell like diesel to you?”  
David stared at the blonde in wonder, attempting to understand him. By this point, Dwayne had made enough headway to stop and listen to their conversation, the gym was practically quiet again other than the music. Marko was still nowhere in sight.   
David’s eyes scanned the room till they fell on the overturned punch bowl, its contents mingling with the fluids on the floor. It hit him, he had said it himself, the punch was definitely spiked and these kids had been drinking it all night. It didn’t take long for alcohol to travel into the blood stream. Now that he had realized it, David had noticed that his head was a little foggy too, though not enough to make him question it. Paul was such a lightweight.   
“ I thought you said that the object of the night had changed from ‘getting shit-faced with your friends’,” David laughed as Paul attempted to stand again, but fell against the floor. Dwayne was now grinning too, looking on from across the room. “ You said that into the microphone, remember?”  
Paul smirked at him from the floor, his face half-way in a puddle of blood. “ Did I say that?”  
David shook his head and washed his face in his hands. Something caught him from the corner of the room. Even among all the dead, he could still smell something strange. Someone was still alive.   
He lifted his head and followed the scent till he reached the wall where the hole had been punctured. He clearly wasn’t the only one who smelled it too, as Dwayne proceeded to his side and they began their ascent to the far-up exposure. Paul asked them why they were leaving already.   
The odor grew stronger until both of the boys saw its cause. There, on the floor of the classroom, Marko and Maria sat across from each other closely. He was holding her hands and clearly explaining something as best as he could, she looked upset. Not shocked or hysterical, but very presently unsure.   
“ Marko?” Dwayne pushed himself over the wreckage till he stood solidly in the new area. The boy looked up at him, his face flushed.   
David was more than a little surprised by what he saw. They had all, to the best of his knowledge very personally killed their dates. It was part of the point of them being set up in the first place. What was Marko waiting for?  
“ W-what, what the hell is she doing? I thought we ate everyone.” David watched as Paul struggled to get in through the opening, pulling himself over the side with great difficulty. He had evidently forgotten he could fly.  
Marko looked completely shaken and was speechless to their questions. For as long as David had known him, which happened to be a fairly long time, Marko had never enjoyed confrontation. It was now hitting him in the face and he had no words for it, but David understood. In a funny way that he never would have known earlier, he truly understood.  
“ I think I know exactly what’s going on here. You don’t want to kill her.” David grinned as he observed the two. They looked so young in that moment, like frightened children.   
Marko swallowed hard and looked down at the ground in shame, and then back up to Maria. “ That’s right.”  
Paul was the first to object. “ No way, man! We didn’t come here to make friends, we came here to feed!” He staggered backwards mid-sentence and caught himself. Marko raised an eyebrow at him.   
“ Be quiet, Paul. You don’t know what you’re saying.” David replied coolly, doing his best to handle the situation with the same calmness he had seen from the girl he’d met earlier. He paused in thought, her name was Star. Star had changed his entire perspective. “ Dwayne, what do you think?”   
Dwayne stepped back and pointed at himself questioningly. It was the first time David had ever asked his opinion on anything and he looked surprised to say the least.  
Maria spoke up before Dwayne could. “ For what it’s worth,” She began, standing up from her place on the floor to make her words seem more powerful. “ Marko told me everything. And what he didn’t, I think I was able to see for myself.” She glanced back at the two shredded bodies in the room, both the aftermath of Paul’s activities earlier that evening.  
None of them seemed really phased by the information, except for Paul. But, everything was bound to phase him at this point. Dwayne crossed his arms and decided on his verdict, looking over at David.  
“ I think I’ll be cool with whatever David chooses.” He smiled at his friend, who had looked back with a grimace. Maybe there was a reason he never asked his opinion, David thought.   
Marko stepped forward, feeling a need to explain himself. David wished that he wouldn’t though, communication wasn’t really his forte. “ Listen, guys. This babe is like totally cool, she’s not gonna tell anyone.”  
David smirked at that. “ Well, I suppose that’s good then, Marko. If she did we’d have to kill her,” Maria jumped back a little in fear as David laughed, showing his fangs. “ Look it’s been a long night you two, let’s just head out. What do you say?”   
Marko beamed and nodded his head quickly, taking Maria by the hand. David heard him whisper something to her along the lines of, “I told you they were nice” but he couldn’t quite make it out. There was still one last thing to do.  
“ Dwayne, you disconnected the fire alarm and sprinklers, like I asked?” David peered down into the gymnasium below them. Dwayne nodded placidly.   
“ You already finished dousing the room?” Dwayne nodded again.  
David smiled and pulled a matchbook out of his coat. Maybe there was an upside to smoking after all, he thought. You always have a light ready.  
“ Wait, wait,” Paul gestured dramatically with his arms and shook his head. “ I thought killing everyone was an afterthought? Why’d you bring enough horsepower to torch this whole place?” It was an awful amount of clarity for someone who likely couldn’t remember his own name at the moment.   
David stared back at the other boy with a cocky expression. “ Because covering up for one of your mistakes is never an afterthought. What did you think I was doing while you guys picked up your dates?”  
Paul’s jaw dropped but David shrugged him off. In an instant, the match was lit and fell to the gym floor. The room ignited almost instantaneously in a way that was strangely beautiful. David wondered what the heat from it must have felt like.  
“ Umm hey,” Maria waved at David from the corner of the room. She was visibly still unnerved by everything happening around her, but seemed to be dealing with it well enough. “ Since you, y’know, killed my best friend and murdered countless people that I knew. Can I ask you a favor?”  
David seemed a little taken aback by the forwardness of the question, but he responded with a shrug. “ You’re on thin ice already, but,” He showed his teeth again, this time with as much sarcasm as there had been intimidation. “ I’ll bite. What’d you have in mind?”


	10. More Beautiful Than the Night

Chapter: 10  
The neon lights from Max’s Video Store looked strikingly beautiful against the lush haziness of the night sky, their electric hum blending with the roar of engines. Maria had ridden behind Marko the whole way, her arms around his chest. They weren’t sure if Paul should have been allowed to ride at all.  
Maria had done nothing but surprise Marko that night. First she had reacted with more emotion than he’d ever known possible and then she’d witnessed a mass genocide with the utmost passivity. Now she wanted to rent movies. If her own words were anything to go off of though, she had decided this whole “vampire thing” was “pretty cool” and she was “chill” with it. It was like he was talking to himself, Marko thought.   
David dismounted from his bike first, examining his clothing now stained all over. Marko was the only one without a drop of blood on his suit, perhaps because feeding wasn’t the first thing on his mind that night or maybe just because he’d liked the color of his outfit too much.   
“ Remind me what we’re doing here?” David glanced at Maria over his shoulder, unsure about going in the store himself. She brushed off his unease with a confident toss of her head.   
“ Tradition,” She said with a smile, climbing off the back of Marko’s bike. “ You’ve never done a ‘rent new releases party’ after prom?”  
David looked to Dwayne who shrugged in reply. Paul nodded in agreement with Maria, though no one was certain if he really knew what they were talking about.  
“ I guess a lot people haven’t heard about that here,” She looked down in thought. “ Leyna, hadn’t either. We used to do it all the time back home, but I guess there was just less to do there.”   
Dwayne put the brake on his motorcycle and made his way to the store’s entrance, propping the door open with his foot. It was apparent to Marko how tired they must have all been, Dwayne seemed to want them to get in and out as fast as possible. It just made Marko laugh.   
“ Where are you from, Marnie?” Paul asked while attempting to hold open the same door that Dwayne was supporting. It was probable that any of the residual alcohol he’d ingested had stopped effecting his system and that Paul had already returned to his regular self. He had done stranger things than mistake someone’s name without being drunk.  
She giggled. “ Oh further north from here.”   
David mouthed something to Dwayne about the specificity of her directions to which the dark haired boy shook his head and grinned.  
She stopped before entering the building, looking up to the sky in wonder. “ You know, I cried over Leyna because I thought she was the only friend I’d ever have and that I’d lost her. Now I’m renting movies with you guys. I suppose it all works out in some way.”  
David cackled loudly at that comment. “ Maria, you just sold out your friend for the people who murdered her. All that does is make you sound like a cold-hearted bitch,” Maria blushed, the gravity of what she said hitting her with the same amount of unawareness in which she’d just spoken. David grinned at her reassuringly. “ I’d say you’re one of us already. 

Max nearly jumped over the counter when they walked in. They were the only, if not the last, customers of the night but rules were rules; never come to the front of the store during business hours. Marko assumed they could use Maria as an excuse.  
The man in the checkered overcoat and rounded glasses was primed to start into his rehearsed adage for whenever they showed up, but Paul opened his mouth first.  
“ Save it, pops. Marko got a girlfriend and David killed her friend. She just wants to rent a movie, we’re being honorable here.” He had his hands raised in defense the entire time he spoke, as if even he was aware of how ridiculous the synopsis he gave sounded.   
Max took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “ Thank you for that, Paul. I don’t even know where to begin.”  
Marko beamed at Max as he picked his way through most of the films on the “Comedy” shelf. “ You could begin with letting us rent a movie. This is Maria by the way.” The small, Latino girl waved back at the store’s owner.   
David sputtered immediately into a stream of apologies as he edged his way closer to the counter. Maybe it was because he was the leader, but David always felt most on edge anytime they imposed on Max. Marko just thought he was a kiss up.   
Max raised a hand in David’s direction and shook his head, waving off the boy’s concerns. He had the stereotypical look of a parent at their wit’s end caring for way too many demanding toddlers. “ It’s fine. We’re nearly closed here anyway,” He paused and looked back up at the group with a quirky grin. “ I saw quite a few firetrucks go screaming past here just a little bit ago. Do you know anything about that?”   
“ Not a thing.” Dwayne responded stoically, scouring the latest TV guide. The edge appeared to be torn.   
David was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “ He’s right. We’re angels after all.”   
Max raised an eyebrow at that. “ Did you ‘angels’ get attacked at a gas station or something then? That’s a lot of blood and a lot of fuel you’re wearing right now. Or did you decide gasoline was a better alternative to bathe in than water?”  
Paul forced a sarcastic laugh. “ To be fair, I actually drank water tonight and while it’s good I can’t understand the bandwagon for it. As for the blood I’m wearing,” He pointed down to the darkened red handprint on his lapel. “ You can thank David for that.”   
David covered his mouth with a gloved hand, trying not to laugh. Max stared at the print in awe. “ That reminds me, I meant to tell you, Paul. That really is a nice jacket y-”  
Paul didn’t allow him to finish that sentence, he knew exactly what the man was going to say. That overcoat had really caused him more trouble than it was worth.   
“ Yeah yeah,” Paul started. “ I know. If you want to see a nice jacket though, you should really be looking at Marko over there. I think that was still in style when you were a kid, Max.”  
Marko rolled his eyes as he and Maria approached the counter. They’d mutually decided on “Adventures in Babysitting”, “Blind Date” and “Creepshow 2”.   
“ Wow, only one horror movie this time. You must really be turning over a new leaf.” Max began marking down their rentals in a catalogue.  
“ Well, you still haven’t moved them to the comedy section so I guess I have to try something new.” He smiled over at Maria.  
The girl’s attention shifted from Marko back to the owner. “ You’re Max, right? Marko’s told me so much about you.” Maria reached out over the counter and Max returned the handshake kindly enough.   
“ I hope not too much,” He grinned back at the girl and exchanged a stern look with Marko. “ But, I’ll tell you what. Seeing as one of my boys trusts you, which is saying quite a lot; I’ve got a proposition. We’re a little short staffed here during the day for… obvious reasons, and I could definitely use the extra help. The door’s always open,” He paused and frowned. “ Just please bring in a resume.”  
Maria couldn’t contain her excitement. “ Really? I just moved here and it would be such a good opportunity to work here and be a part of things and-” Marko put a hand on her shoulder. “ Sorry, I’m rambling. Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll come back by tomorrow… tomorrow evening.”   
Max laughed as he handed them their tapes. Marko could tell he liked her. Maybe in a way they shared a similar mutuality in awkwardness. In fact, it was becoming apparent to Marko that, much like Max, Maria was one of the most well-intentioned people he’d ever met. She had a heart big enough to mourn the loss of someone she had barely known but the acceptance to try and understand something new. Maybe she was just lonely. He couldn’t fault her for that though.  
“ Enjoy your movies.” Max looked up and addressed the rest of gang. Paul had been eyeing the women on the covers of the romance films, Dwayne had continued reading through most of the movie-related literature, and David was ringing his hands nervously, looking as if he expected the police to show up at any time.   
“ Behave, boys, and please remember to rewind your tapes this time. If I could charge you a rewind fee I would.”   
David nodded with a fierce sincerity while Paul simply gave him the “a-okay” sign. They began exiting with Maria taking up the rear of their line. She threw her head back before stepping out into the darkness. “ I’ll remind them!”   
She forgot almost immediately but it didn’t matter, not to Marko anyway. And, as they climbed aboard their bikes and began driving off back down the highway, he saw her reflection delicately in the side mirror. She was a stranger in a new town, looking desperately for a place to belong just as all of them had been at one point or another. She had been lost and maybe, even if they weren’t the best company, she’d found a home. Tightening her grip around his waist, she tossed her head back once more in a laughing grin. Her smile was the warmest thing he’d known in years and for once, Marko had found something to look at more beautiful than the night.


End file.
